


New Home

by frozenCinders



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: M/M, nursing back to health, stumbling into domestic life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21553339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenCinders/pseuds/frozenCinders
Summary: Li Dian has the strangest feeling.
Relationships: Lǐ Diǎn/Yuè Jìn
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	New Home

This is ridiculous. Li Dian takes open pride in his sharp intuition, but it'd be nice if it were ever specific. He's been feeling anxious all night and he has no idea why-- he can't even exactly place it as a _bad_ feeling, he's just nervous for a reason that hasn't come to pass yet. Worse yet, the little rescue team he's been sent with is camping out for the night because it's too dark to advance any further, and Li Dian can't help but fret they're going to be ambushed or lose something important to a scavenging animal or a bandit.

Some of the men notice that he seems out of sorts, but Li Dian can't really explain the feeling he's getting, so he assures them that it's nothing. Yue Jin, who had elected to come along purely because he'd been sitting still for too long, would normally take anything anyone says at face value, but even he doesn't seem convinced. Of course, Yue Jin is as far as can be from the type to pull Li Dian aside and ask for an explanation unless it's an important matter, so he isn't worried about getting hassled.

The damn feeling robs him of sleep, though, and after a couple hours or so of lying uncomfortably, he decides to get up and keep an eye on the outskirts of their camp. Yue Jin apparently can't sleep either, because Li Dian almost bumps into him when he finds him staring up at the full moon. Li Dian joins him in stargazing for a moment, but something starts bugging him and his gaze slowly travels back down. He swears he sees movement and immediately assumes the worst, that this anxious feeling has been his intuition trying to tell him to look out for wolves or something. When he turns to face the source, though, he only sees a large bird take off further into the forest. He didn't hear a thing and it's dark out, so it must have been an owl.

"Is everything alright?" Yue Jin asks, and Li Dian can imagine the curious look he's giving him. Always with that sparkle in his eye, and no judgement towards anyone but himself. It's kind of calming.

"... Gah, you got me. I've had this weird feeling for a while now, so I guess I'm jumping at shadows..."

"A... weird feeling?! Are we in danger of being attacked?!"

"No, not-- well, I don't think so, at least. It's a different kind of feeling. I can't figure it out."

"I... I see..." Yue Jin says, but Li Dian knows he's not doing a good job of explaining it.

A good while passes without any talk, just the sound of crickets in the night.

"So what's keeping you up?" Li Dian asks, since he doesn't see a reason why both of them should be robbed of sleep.

"I've been inactive for too long... I actually went for a walk earlier, but I figured I shouldn't stray too far from the camp."

"Too much energy, then? Sounds like you."

"Exactly."

Li Dian, on the other hand, is being kept up by his mind rather than his body. He sits down and continues staring up at the sky, hoping it would lull him to sleep somehow. After a few minutes, he lies back, finally feeling like he might be tired enough to fall asleep despite that nagging feeling. Yue Jin eventually sits beside him, but Li Dian doesn't stay awake for much longer.

When he wakes up, the first thing he notices, to his great chagrin, is that the anxiety hasn't gone away. The second thing he notices is extra weight on his right arm. The sun is starting to rise, and the extra light lets him see that Yue Jin had cuddled up with Li Dian's arm in his sleep. He's all curled up and looking so peaceful, Li Dian doesn't think he can bear to pull his arm away.

Soon, though, their party begins to rouse and Yue Jin wakes up on his own. Caught between hassling him for being cute in his sleep and having mercy by letting him off the hook, Li Dian feigns sleep for the moment. The way he unwraps himself and pulls away is slow and careful, and he's clearly trying his best to stay quiet as he gets up. Li Dian can't help but smile, and Yue Jin must be looking, judging by his gasp.

"Are... you awake?" he asks, keeping his voice down in case he's mistaken.

"Yeah, I'm up, I'm up," Li Dian groans, sitting up with exaggerated reluctance. He thinks he'll let him get away with it after all.

Astonishingly, their rescue mission proceeds without a hitch. That feeling still remains with Li Dian for some reason, tugging at him incessently whenever he's not completely preoccupied with something else. They're not home yet, so he assumes something is bound to happen on the way back. He has the men on high alert, telling them he just wants to make sure everyone gets home safe.

He ends up alone with Yue Jin again, although there are no stars out for them to stare at right now. The feeling is so strong now that Li Dian thinks he might be sick. It's then that he notices it: an archer a good distance away with an arrow drawn and ready to fire at Yue Jin. Without warning, Li Dian yanks him by the arm, pulling him out of the line of fire just in time. Yue Jin is only confused until he hears the arrow sink into the ground, and then he's quick to spot the archer and sprint at him full speed.

"Wait, don't just run at him! Hey!" Li Dian shouts, but Yue Jin manages to leap at the assailant and pin him to the ground with his knee before he can register the warning. Li Dian almost thinks he can relax, but he hears a slight, pained noise out of Yue Jin over the curt groan of the now dead attacker. He doesn't move from that position and Li Dian runs over and frantically looks him over until he sees that he's been stabbed in the back of the knee.

"That impulse is gonna get you killed, you know! Yue Jin, you have to start thinking before you act, for--"

"You're safe," Yue Jin points out, too pained to sound relieved.

"Wh-- well, yeah, but you aren't!"

"I don't mind losing my life so long as I can be useful," he says-- a sentiment Li Dian has heard him repeat countless times. A dozen lectures boil in his mouth but peter out in the form of a click of the tongue as Li Dian roughly scratches the back of his head before helping Yue Jin to stand.

"You're gonna take it easy until that's healed, okay? The least you can do is listen to me now."

Yue Jin nods, and even with that guilty look on his face, Li Dian can still see that ever present sparkle in his eye from this close up.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to inconvenience you."

"That's not-- hey, quit trying to walk on your own," Li Dian scolds when he notices Yue Jin putting too much weight on his injured leg. "Anyway, that's not the issue, Yue Jin. This isn't a me thing."

"Leaping into the fray at a moment's notice is the only thing I know I can do."

"What? Listen..."

"I always... feel like I'm doing something wrong," Yue Jin goes on, eyes completely averted. "I feel like I'm constantly making mistakes that nobody is pointing out, and that everyone is mere moments away from finally letting me have it. But when it comes to battle... it's the one thing I'm certain about."

"Come on, we've got people like Yu Jin around. You know he'll let you have it no matter how small a mistake is..." Li Dian says, but he knows it probably isn't reassuring. He doesn't consider himself all that good with people, but he's been told otherwise, so he just keeps talking.

"At least you know you're strong. You deserve to be confident in _something,_ at least, you know? And you're such a good man, I bet even if you totally let loose you still wouldn't be doing anything wrong. You've gotta let go and cause a real ruckus one of these days."

"I could never..!"

"Sure you could!" Li Dian laughs. "Just pick a day to do whatever you want, guilt-free, and I'll go around covering for you. Promise. Well, as long as you don't go too crazy."

Yue Jin's pace slows even further, which Li Dian thinks nothing of at first since he does have a leg injury at the moment.

"People have died from lesser injuries," Yue Jin almost mumbles, as if speaking to himself.

"Come on, you'll be fine. That's a guarantee from your buddy Li Dian, okay?"

"May I... choose today?"

"Oh... is that what you're worried about? I don't know how much you'll be able to do like this, but sure."

When Yue Jin stops walking, Li Dian assumes he's going to change position or, worst case scenario, insist on walking on his own. What he doesn't expect is a warm hug. He doesn't expect a soft, satisfied hum when he returns the hug, causing Yue Jin to relax in his arms. He doesn't expect it to feel so nice.

"I don't wanna lose this," Li Dian mutters to himself in slightly stunned realization. Yue Jin looks up at him, curiosity so clear in those eyes, and Li Dian is quick to dismiss what he said, to tell him not to worry about it.

"May I... get away with this for a while longer..?" Yue Jin asks, promptly returning to burying his face in Li Dian's chest as soon as he nods.

Eventually, to Li Dian's disappointment, they do have to pull away in order to keep walking. The men fret over Yue Jin for a short while when they return, but he's not the type to actually rest when he's injured, so his unwavering spirit convinces everyone that it's not a big deal. Li Dian knows better, of course, and he prepares to tell Yue Jin off if he ends up exerting himself after Li Dian told him to take it easy.

The rest of the trip goes smoothly, with Li Dian spending all his time thinking up excuses as to why he has to be the one to help Yue Jin walk-- excuses he never has to employ because they're content to leave him in Li Dian's hands. He's become so acquainted with that anxious feeling that he doesn't even notice it's gone until they finally arrive home. Nobody died, so maybe that was the difference.

On the other hand, Li Dian is now experiencing nervousness of his own design, wrought about by Yue Jin needing him at the same time that he thinks he's realized some pretty important feelings. He could leave Yue Jin to a doctor-- _should,_ really-- but, as cliche as it sounds, he doesn't want to leave his side. Anyone who asks is simply told that Li Dian feels guilty because he was there and could have prevented it. Only Guo Jia seems to suspect him of lying. Of course.

They basically live together for a time; until Li Dian wakes up one morning to find Yue Jin outside, testing his leg and apparently finding nothing wrong. He'd been healing excellently, so this shouldn't be a surprise, but Li Dian can't help but lament that their living situation is about to come to an end. That their arm wrestling to determine who will cook dinner that night will end. That their little late night sessions where Li Dian can't sleep so he starts trying to make Yue Jin laugh until they're both exhausted will end. That Yue Jin accidentally pulling on Li Dian's robe instead of his own while half-asleep every other morning will end.

Because he certainly doesn't want to be the one to do it, Li Dian doesn't bring it up, pretending not to have seen that his leg is fine. Yue Jin doesn't mention it either until late that night.

"I... should have said something earlier, but..." he starts, looking away like he's all disappointed in himself. "Actually, even before today... I think I'm completely healed now, but I'm certain you could have left at least a week ago. I'm sorry to keep you here."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's been fun!" Li Dian says, acting like it doesn't hurt him to consider going back home. The idea of an empty house is killing him.

"Can... uh, nevermind," Yue Jin starts and stops, apparently thinking better of whatever he was about to ask.

"No, go ahead. Don't go changing it, either-- I wanna hear exactly what you were gonna say," Li Dian means to encourage, but Yue Jin seems nervous at his wording. "Come on, tell me! It's not like I'll get mad."

"No, it's just... I realized it isn't my place at all to ask for yet another indulgence."

"Indulgence? Well, if you just want another hug..."

Li Dian smiles and holds his arms out. Yue Jin's hesitation seems to disappear and he promptly embraces him. This time, though, after a moment, he cautiously grabs Li Dian's hand and brings it up to the top of his head. Li Dian ruffles his hair and rests his hand there, gently moving his fingers until he ends up massaging Yue Jin's head. It almost puts him to sleep right in Li Dian's arms, but he makes an attempt to stay awake.

"Think I could... maybe get an indulgence too?" he asks, and Yue Jin shoots right up.

"Of course! Anything!"

"Now, hang on. You really shouldn't promise me "anything"..."

"I trust you completely, Li Dian. I'm confident in promising you anything," he claims. His honest tone and those _fucking_ sparkly eyes make for a deadly combination; Li Dian feels as if he's been shot through the heart in the best way possible.

"Okay, okay. If you trust me so much, can you close your eyes for me?"

Yue Jin does so with ease. It takes a great deal of effort to try to do anything but stare at him, but Li Dian manages to snap out of it eventually. He leans in like he's been wanting to for a good while now, but he chickens out and changes course, pressing his lips on the criss cross scars on Yue Jin's cheek. He gasps but doesn't open his eyes. Li Dian thinks he can feel Yue Jin's face warming up.

"Do you... have to go home?" Yue Jin asks, finally opening his eyes just to look up at him. Those puppy eyes make Li Dian grab his jaw to pull him in for a real kiss, which Yue Jin is eager to return.

A lot more eager than Li Dian ever expected, in fact, because he ends up on his back before he even realizes it, tackled down by Yue Jin.

"The only way I'm ever going home is if you kick me out," Li Dian finally answers.


End file.
